Meaningful Name / Ace Attorney

Every character in the series has a Meaningful Name that is usually also a Punny Name of sorts - most of the names describe disposition or occupation, or give you a few hints as to the character's true nature. This is true of both the Japanese and the English versions, thanks to some Woolseyisms.

However, to denote these, spoilers are unmarked. Proceed with caution!

Original Trilogy

• Phoenix Wright (成歩堂龍一, Naruhodou Ryuuichi) is appropriately named after the bird, as someone who rises from the ashes and flies. Comes back from the dead. Has turnabout trials, and is nearly defeated seventy-three times every trial. His Japanese surname, Naruhodo, is a play on a phrase that means "Yes, I see." His Japanese given name is likely a homage to a musician Takumi liked (Ryuuichi Sakamoto of the Yellow Magic Orchestra), but it also plays nicely with Furio Tigre listed below as well.
• Mia Fey (綾里千尋, Ayasato Chihiro) has an original given name that means 'thousand questions'. Miles even states that The Perry Mason Method and constantly questioning the prosecution's reasoning is her signature technique. The second kanji in her name, 尋, is the same that is used in 'cross examination'. Her English name is also an abbreviation - the Fey that's MIA.
• Frank Sahwit (山野 星雄, Yamano Hoshio) is the first witness in the game; to be frank, he saw it. Phoenix acknowledges this when he proves Frank was the real killer, and quips that his last name should be 'Didit'. His Japanese name is a homophone for the culprit.
• Detective Dick Gumshoe (糸鋸圭介, Itonokogiri Keisuke). As Edgeworth himself puts it, he's as troublesome as a gum in your shoe. "(Private) Dick" and "Gumshoe" are also old terms for detective. His Japanese name has a Running Gag attached to it for it being so long. 'Keisuke' can be chosen for 'keiji', 'detective'.
• Winston Payne (亜内 武文, Auchi Takefumi) winced in pain, ouch! His brother Gaspen Payne similarly gasped in pain.
• Maya Fey (綾里真宵, Ayasato Mayoi) is named after the Buddhist concept of the illusion. Maya is introduced with someone else having created the illusion that she killed her sister. Another reference can be found in the Maya of Greek mythology, the oldest and most beautiful of the Pleiads. Her Japanese name literally means 'true night' which the developers found fitting seen the initial circumstances of her debut case, but it is also homophonous for the word for 'lost' - complementing Mia's original name. Her family name is not that meaningful in Japanese (it simply sounds old-fashioned), but the word 'Fey' means "Having or displaying an otherworldly, magical, or fairylike aspect or quality.", or 'Close to death'.
• Miles Edgeworth (御剣怜侍 Mitsurugi Reiji)'s both names are references to the character's rapier wit and confrontational, sharp nature. 'Miles' not only means 'warrior', but also 'Servant' in some languages, which was his treatment under von Karma. "Honorable blade" is also a hint at his Character Development, and his given name means 'clever samurai'.
• His father Gregory Edgeworth had an English name that refers to To Kill a Mockingbird and a Japanese name that means 'sword of truth.'
• Redd White is the CEO of Blue Corp. Both his and his secretary April May's original name consists of the words for 'large, medium, small'.
• Wendy Oldbag (大場カオル, Ōba Kaoru), which is a wordplay on Old Windbag. Her Japanese name is similarly a play on 'annoying grandma'.
• Manfred von Karma (狩魔豪, Karuma Gou), named after the Red Baron. They were both brought down by a single bullet. You could say that Karma came back to bite him in the ass, fifteen years later. "Manfred" also means "one who brings peace," which is appropriate for a prosecutor and, in a twisted way, for a murderer as well. His Japanese name is written with the kanji for "hunt", "demon" and "great" - a very appropriate name for a villain.
• In contrast to that, Franziska von Karma (狩魔冥, Karuma Mei) has an original name that means 'darkness'. It shows how she's the unknown side of the family and the bitterness that is inside her as a result of Manfred raising her.
• Pearl Fey (綾里春美, Ayasato Harumi) is named after the Creepy Child daughter of the protagonist in The Scarlet Letter written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Just like the character, there is something off about this young prodigy - and it is not only the way she uses extremely polite speech. Her Japanese name means 'spring beauty' and denotes her cuteness.
• The clown Moe, whose real name is Lawrence Curls, as a Shout-Out to The Three Stooges.
• Luke Atmey (星威岳哀牙, Hoshiidake Aiga) wants to be seen, and may be longing for affection (ai ga hoshii dake, "I want love, that's all!").
• Adrian Andrews (華宮 霧緒, Kirio Kamiya) is a name that is commonly assumed to belonging to a male-identifying individual. This is an important plot point to show that Shelly never met Adrian in person. She shares a name with Kamiya Hideki, Takumi’s colleague at Capcom at the time. But interestingly, the kanji in her name can be interpreted as a story: 'kami’, written as 上, can mean “beginning” or "top", and 'ya’ can be “arrow”. 'kiri’, written as 切り, can mean “end”, and 'o’ can be “cord”. Putting them all together, it is 'in the beginning, straight and pointed as an arrow; by the end, coiled and attached like a cord'. 'Adrian' means 'the dark one', which can refer to her clothing switch to black later, but also denotes her dark past.
• Matt Engarde (王都楼 真吾, Outorou Shingo)'s last name means 'On Guard' and is a fencing term used to announce the beginning of a match. While at first he doesn't seem to be 'on guard' at all (he's fairly easy-going), when he's not putting up a gentle act, he's very paranoid and hired a Professional Killer to take out the victim. It's also a warning to the player, as uncovering Matt's scheme is a long and involved process that will require you to be on guard. His Japanese family name is both homophonous for 'outlaw' and a certain portion of tuna, expressing him being the Foil to Will Powers. His Japanese given name means 'true self', which the unassuming player will find out about until it is too late. 'Matt' means 'gift from God' and his initials are M.E, which certainly fits with his true nature. It is also thought to be derived from 'Mathuin' meaning 'bear', tying him to Corrida. 'Matt' is the German word for 'checkmate' (matching with him considering others simply as pawns in his game) and the Luxembourgish word for 'moth' that not only denotes his attaction to the 'spotlight' and his facade as camouflage, but also ties him to Dahlia below.
• Trying to count the meanings in Dahlia Hawthorne (美柳 ちなみ, Miyanagi Chinami)'s name would surely take a while, but the most important ones are the murder mystery The Black Dahlia, Rappacchini's Daughter and the Hawthorne Effect (of which she's a perfect example). It also sounds like 'Delilah'. On top of that, in the language of flowers, red dahlias represent treachery, and Dahlia's most obvious identifying feature is her bright red hair. Word of God said her name was supposed to sound like one of those Names to Trust Immediately.
  • To make it even more perfect, her sister's name, Iris, is, in fact, a direct translation from her Japanese name, so the whole flower-thing was partly a coincidence, which just happened to fit.
• Furio Tigre is the tiger to Phoenix/Ryuuichi's dragon, and his Japanese name literally means 'Tiger Boy'.

Apollo Justice

• Apollo Justice (王泥喜法介, Oudoroki Housuke). Apollo was the Greek god of the sun, truth, and music (which is foreshadowing his mother and father being musicians), and in the Orestheia, Apollo was the first one who defended (for matricide, no less), setting up a 12-person jury while at it. His Japanese name essentially means 'A surprising man of law'.
• Trucy Wright/Gramarye (成歩堂みぬき, Naruhodou Minuki) is 'see through', which is what the Perceive system does. In fact, the Japanese name of the Perceive feature bears the verb form of her name (her name is a verb made into a name). Her English name also sounds like 'True See'.
• Moving away from people's names, case three features a fictional disease named "Incuritis" that is incurable. Well, save for an extremely hard to get drug that can only be brought into the country illegally.
• Klavier's name is German for 'piano', which is apt for a musician. 'Piano' also means 'soft/quiet sound', and Klavier is the least harsh prosecutor in the series.
• Guy Eldoon is 'Noodle Guy' backwards, and he runs a noodle stand.
• Pal Meraktis the surgeon committed malpractice by failing to inform his clients of a botched surgical operation.
• Daryan Crescend's name comes from 'crescendo', and he's a musician as well as a detective.

Dual Destinies

• Ted Tonate (detonate) and Candice Arme (can disarm) are both police officers who deal with bombs.
• Athena Cykes. Her namesake was the goddess of the clear sky, but especially of defense, wisdom, and arts; pretty fitting for an intelligent defense attorney who knows martial arts. Her Japanese name consists of the words 'Hope Moon' (foreshadowing that her moon earring brings down the Big Bad of Dual Destinies) and 'Heart Sound' (which references her ability to listen to people's hearts, or rather, their hidden emotions). 'Cykes' also sounds like 'Psyche', which refers to her psychology degree. Her Japanese name, Kizuki, is also a pun on 'to realize'.
• Juniper Woods has a strong plant/flower motif. It also sounds a little like 'Jupiter', connecting her to both Apollo and Athena having Graeco-Roman god names.
• Florent L'Belle's name is essentially 'Beautiful Flower' in French. Florent is a very flamboyant man obsessed with his looks.
• Damian Tenma pretends to be a demon.
• Phineas Filch is a petty thief.
• Bobby Fulbright is named after a British slang term for a police officer, and he has a very bright disposition.
• Solomon Starbuck is an astronaut. And if you re-arrange his first name, you get Sol (latin for 'Sun') Moon.
• Yuri Cosmos is named after the cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.
• Aura Blackquill's Japanese name is Kaguya, after the legendary princess from the moon. Her name in English is another Greek goddess (personification of clear skies and breezes), and also the name of a research satellite.

Spirit of Justice

• Roger Retinz, stage name Mr. Reus. Retinz = Ratings, as he's currently a media mogul, and 'Reus' is Latin for 'Guilty', as he's the case's culprit.
• Bonnie de Fame helped to 'defame' Trucy Wright by framing her for murder, though she was an Unwitting Pawn.
• Bucky Whet/'Buckwheat' owns a noodle restaurant.
• 'A'hnon Imus' is a fake name for an anonymous individual with amnesia. When his true name is revealed, it's Datz Are'bal, 'That's a rebel', and he's a major figure in the Defiant Dragons revolution.
• Dumas Gloomsbury was a very gloomy person.

Investigations

• Calisto Yew—Calisto is a butterfly, yew is a kind of poisonous plant, referring to the butterfly/flower symbols of Cohdopia. Also, 'Callous to you'.
• Quercus Alba's name in the Japanese version, Carnage Onred. His English name ties in to the one of Colias Palaeno, as 'Quercus Alba' is an old oak, while 'Colias Palaeno' is a butterfly. Both names tie back to the countries they represent, as Allebahst has a flower motif while Babahl uses butterflies.
• Byrne Faraday. Byrne? Gaelic for raven... fitting for a man who was part of the Yatagarasu, a thief group whose symbol was a raven.
• Deid Mann. Look, sometimes you run out of the clever ones, especially for a victim of a case that leads into the case you're playing and never gets officially solved because all parties involved get killed off before Edgeworth can meet them.
• In Investigations 2, you have two chemicals. Normallium is in normal everyday things such as paints and washing detergents and is not deadly at all on its own. The other, Fatallium, is only found in very select things such as powerful and fatal pesticides that aren't sold to the general public. Combining the two results in a chemical reason that forms a deadly poisonous gas.
• Blaise Debeste. 'Blaise' sounds like 'Blaze', and one of Blaise's prominent quirks is playing with a lighter.